This invention relates to a composition for preventing and curing protozoan disease, more specifically piroplasma disease and malaria, which comprises at least one of tetrocarcins and salts thereof and at least one pharmaceutical adjuvant or carrier.
The piroplasma disease is a protozoan disease caused by piroplasma in a broad sense, which includes protozoa of Babesia and Theileria families, and an acute or chronic disease transmitted by mites with the main symptoms of pyrexia, anemia, jaundice, and hemoglobin-uria. Various attempts have been made long for its curing, but its defense is very difficult. It has frequently occurred in many places in the world, and the economic loss is great. On the other hand, in Japan, it has frequently occurred with grazing cattle and also it recently tends to increase with housing cattle, which give rise to problems.
Chemicals against it include 8-aminoquinoline derivatives, etc., but recently many chemical-resistant strains have appeared, and now such chemicals have almost no more practical significance in view of their effect and toxicity, etc.
As the result of extensive studies of effective anti-piroplasma agents against Babesia rodhaini living on small animals (which will be hereinafter referred to as BR), it has been found that tetrocarcins have a strong anti-piroplasma activity and the present invention have been established. Furthermore, when splenectomized cattle were infected with Theileria sergenti (which will be hereinafter referred to as TS) (including chemical-resistant strains) to confirm their anti-piroplasma activity, a very strong activity has been found, and their practical significance has been clarified.